Shrivastava, Biol Med (Aligarh) 2015, 8:1
http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/0974-8369.1000e121
Biology and Medicine
Editorial
Open Access
Strategies to Facilitate Integration of AYUSH in the Existing Health Set-Up:
Program Manager Perspectives
Saurabh Ram Bihari Lal Shrivastava* Prateek Saurabh Shrivastava and Jegadeesh Ramasamy
Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Kancheepuram, India
India is in possession of a wide range of socio-cultural and
linguistic variability and is one of the most populous nations of the
world [1]. Being a middle-income country with an ineffective public
health system (viz. geographical inequitable distribution of health
establishments or vacant posts of health professionals, etc.), the masses
have been exposed to a range of health concerns [2,3]. However, the
impact of all these public health concerns can be remarkably reduced,
if quality assured health care services is accessible and available to all
[2,4].
Apart from the Allopathic fraternity, distinctive sort of scientifically
proven, legally recognized, and acceptable field of medicine such
as Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy
(AYUSH) are in operation in variable parts of the country [2,5].
Acknowledging the manpower resources and to combat the significant
shortage in number of health care professionals, the National Rural
Health Mission (now known as National Health Mission) has
recommended to mainstream the AYUSH system of indigenous
medicine [6,7]. Mainstreaming of AYUSH basically refers to the
process of integrating AYUSH system of medicine with the existing
health system in the country, at all levels of health care (viz. co-location
in all public health establishments), so that preventive, promotive and
rehabilitative health care services can be offered to all sections of society
[8].
To ensure successful implementation of the process of mainstreaming
all across the country, multiple measures such as strengthening of
infrastructure – building, equipments and dispensaries; involving state
government to decide which system of medicine should be set-up in
a specific state; setting up of specialty centers and clinics in district
headquarters hospitals and medical colleges; creating a managerial
post for ensuring effective supervision and implementation of different
activities at district/state level; building linkages with multiple sectors;
encouraging cross-referral between allopathic and AYUSH streams;
involving AYUSH practitioners to create awareness about their systems;
mobilizing existing AYUSH establishments; integrating AYUSH with
accredited social health activists (ASHA) workers by training them
on relevant aspects of AYUSH; implementing initiatives for ensuring
availability of AYUSH drugs at all levels; strengthening quality
control mechanism in laboratories to avoid manufacture and sale of
counterfeit and sub-standard drugs; streamlining the process of drug
standardization so as to determine the drug potency; expanding the
existing laws to encompass the manufacture and sale of drugs; and
facilitating research work and promoting publications by exploring
the local health traditions and traditional drugs used by experienced
local health practitioners; have been proposed and implemented with
varying range of success [6,8-10].
However, the proposed strategies have not been achieved the desired
results owing to the presence of multiple challenges / barriers such as
distinct approach for management of a clinical condition; unrelated
rationale involved in different systems practice; an unclear policy
for cross referral; inadequate or absent infrastructure, assistance and
supplies; potential rise in cross practice; shortage of staff; inequitable
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emoluments; ethical concerns (viz. no healthy dialogues between
practitioners of either system/not disclosing which type of practitioners
the patient is seeing); and lack of accountability mechanisms especially
at the grassroots levels [8,10-12].
In order to counter the identified challenges, the program
managers have come with a comprehensive strategy which includes
specific elements like developing/upgrading AYUSH institutes/
colleges; conducting re-orientation training program for AYUSH
personnel; facilitating international exchange of experts and officers;
providing incentives to drug manufacturers, entrepreneurs, AYUSH
institutions for international propagation of AYUSH; formulating
uniform policy on reimbursement of AYUSH treatment; extending
support for international market development and AYUSH promotionrelated activities; establishing AYUSH information cells in foreign
countries; organizing international fellowships for foreign nationals
for undertaking AYUSH courses in premier institutions in India;
conducting integrative research to assess the scope of drug formulations
or community-based epidemiological studies to assess the utility of
AYUSH in health care delivery system; involving pharmacists; and
by implementing strategies that have been successfully employed in
other countries, to fast-track the process of integrating AYUSH system
[9,10,13,14].
To conclude, the program managers have to supervise the process
of integration of AYUSH into the existing health system so as to combat
the public health concerns of inadequate health professionals and
ineffective public health system.
References
1. Ministry of Home Affairs (2011) Census of India 2011.
2. Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J (2013) Implementation of public
health practices in tribal populations of India – Challenges & remedies. Healthc
Low Resour Settings 1: e3.
3. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2012) Rural health statistics in India in
2012.
4. Indian Public Health Standards (2012) IPHS guidelines for primary health
centers.
5. Park K (2011) Health care of the community: Textbook of Preventive and Social
*Corresponding author: Dr. Saurabh Ram Bihari Lal Shrivastava, 3rd floor,
Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research
Institute, Ammapettai village, Thiruporur - Guduvancherry Main Road, Sembakkam
Post, Kancheepuram - 603108, Tamil Nadu, India, Tel: +919884227224; E-mail:
[email protected]
Received June 25, 2015; Accepted June 27, 2015; Published July 04, 2015
Citation: Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J (2015) Strategies to
Facilitate Integration of AYUSH in the Existing Health Set-Up: Program Manager
Perspectives. Biol Med (Aligarh) 8: e121. doi: 10.4172/0974-8369.1000e121
Copyright: © 2015 Shrivastava SR, et al. This is an open-access article distributed
under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original author and source are credited.
Volume 8 • Issue 1 • 1000e121